This invention relates to protective devices for electrical outlets and more particularly to a safety cover for electrical wall outlets.
This invention relates to safety covers which may be inserted into electrical outlets to prevent accidental or inadvertent insertion of metal objects such as pins and nails into the receptacle openings of the outlets.
There are several devices for covering electrical wall outlets, some of which are complex structures that are expensive to produce and awkward or inconvenient to use, others are simple devices which are merely dummy plugs. The complex devices often utilize sliding mechanisms with intricate moving parts or box-like housings which must be disconnected from the outlet to allow the insertion or withdrawal of the electrical plug into or out of the receptacles. The dummy plugs are intended for insertion into the outlet receptacles when the receptacles are not in use. These dummy plugs are intended to be difficult for a child to remove, however, it often turns out that the plugs are also very difficult for an adult to remove. Another disadvantage of these dummy plugs is that when removed from the outlet to allow the outlet to be used, the dummy plugs are often lost, misplaced or broken.
Two patents have been discovered which are believed to be of interest to the disclosed invention. The first is a patent issued to Miller (U.S. Pat. No. 2,407,894, issued Sept. 17, 1946) for an electrical connecting unit. The second is a patent issued to Abraham, et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 2,932,811, issued Apr. 12, 1960) for a safety cover for electrical outlets.
Miller discloses a device for running temporary electrical circuits which has dummy plugs received in the outlet receptacles when not in use. These dummy plugs are attached to the device by a cord 17 to prevent the loss of the dummy plug when removed from the outlet receptacle. While Miller does address the need for preventing the loss of dummy plugs, as stressed by this invention the Miller dummy plugs do not incorporate the unique pivotal arrangement that is used in this invention Miller has projections 11 around the contact 16 that are inserted into the outlet receptacle and these projections are snugly received in recesses 9 surrounding the receptacle which would prevent pivoting of the Miller dummy plugs. (Additionally, Miller relates to portable electrical circuits rather than to permanent electrical wall outlets.
Abraham discloses a one piece safety cover for a standard electrical wall outlet. The Abraham device is basically a plastic plate with a hole through it to receive the attachment screw used to secure the cover plate for the electrical outlet. The Abraham device is secured to the exterior of the cover plate by the same screw used to secure the cover plate. Located on opposite sides of the hole in the Abraham device are prongs which extend perpendicularly from the plate. These prongs are sized and arranged to be received in the receptacle openings in the outlet. Therefore, the Abraham device prevents the loss of the dummy plugs because these plugs are incorporated into the plate which is attached to the exterior of the cover plate for the electrical outlet. One disadvantage of Abraham is that when the dummy plug is removed from the receptacle openings, it is difficult to bend it back out of the way and therefore it interferes with insertion and removal of the electrical plug. Additionally, since Abraham's device is intended to be mounted to the exterior of the plate covering the outlet it is possible that if the dummy plugs are removed with sufficient force, then the counter sunk screw holding the device to the plate would pull through the flexible material from which this article is necessarily made.